Brief Departure
by Happytohelp
Summary: A small separation teaches them quite a bit. (First ever fic, ooh exciting). T for absolute safe side, but not really.
1. Chapter 1

**Well, here we go. I dive headlong into the world of sporadically updated fanfic. As you may have noticed, this is my first fic ever, so it may not be up to snuff. I know there's work out there better than mine, in fact I read it all the time, but don't be too harsh if you can help it. Anyway, enjoy (if at all possible). It's probably horribly cliched, but whatever.**

* * *

Katara didn't usually concern herself with political matters. They were usually left to Aang, Zuko, Hakoda and a host of diplomats from Ba Sing Se and the rest of the world. _It's not really any of my business,_ she reasoned. But upon discovering that the next set of meetings being held at the Earth Kingdom capital could possibly secure lucrative trade and travel routes for the Southern Water Tribe, she took it upon herself to make it her business and, using her sway as the Avatar's girlfriend, sat in on the meetings.

Two years after the end of the war, the Southern Water Tribe was making progress with efforts to rebuild and was, considering the circumstances, doing well. On top of this, under Master Pakku's guidance, a small group of waterbenders from the Northern Water Tribe had assisted with the construction and it thrilled Katara to no end that she was no longer the last waterbender in the South. When she had visited she was amazed by the progress that had been made in such a short amount of time, and it always pleased her when she was reminded of just how well the water tribes could adapt to circumstance. Their progress was beginning to slow, however, due to a lack of resources, and things would almost certainly get worse come winter, without the assistance the trade route would offer. Hakoda and Sokka had been sure that this new route would allow them to make good use of goods from the prosperous Fire Nation colonies and would carry them, almost comfortably, through the harsh winter.

The meeting appeared to be going amicably. The route proposed by Chief Hakoda (worked out pre-meeting by none other than Sokka) was to pass through the southern Earth Kingdom, and up into the Foggy Swamp, as an attempt to allow the Southern Water Tribe some contact with their "lost kin". The route would then continue up the west coast to allow some trade with the Fire Nation colonies (which were still being hotly contested by Zuko and Kuei). For the most part, the world leaders in the room had seemed content with the plan. When Katara had asked her friends about it, they seemed to think that it was a grand idea, the reasoning being that the Foggy Swamp Tribe should be given the chance to interact with the rest of the world, should they want to. They all new, however, that the primary motivation was to secure large amounts of resources for the Southern Water Tribe. The only person she hadn't spoken to about it was Aang himself, as he had been in and out of meetings all week and was rarely awake enough to spend extended periods of time with, so she hadn't bothered to waste his time with yet _more _political talk. She was quietly confident, however, that the Avatar's clout in world affairs would be enough to clinch the deal once and for all.

The only problem was a group of dissenters in the form of southern Earth Kingdom diplomats, who argued that the route would disrupt their own trade routes, and upset the transportation of goods to their own villages. The route had been designed to be as unobtrusive as possible, but it was inevitable that it would "get in the way", as one politician had put it. Katara and Sokka had been almost certain that, after the officials understood the extent of the damage that the Southern Tribes had sustained, they would change their mind. Fire Lord Zuko supported the idea, and the Earth King had said that he would agree to the route if the Avatar did. After several hours of huffing and puffing from both sides, it was decided that a decision had to be made, and once again all eyes fell on Aang to cast the deciding vote. The young airbender stood, and Katara shot him a meaningful glance. He appeared to smile at first, but she noticed that his eyes appeared sad, guilty almost. When he swallowed to speak, he visibly shook.

"On my travels, I have visited many places that have seen significant amounts of damage caused to them by the Fire Nation," Zuko fidgeted nervously. "Of the victims of the war, few have seen the devastation that was heroically endured by the members of the Southern Water Tribe. Cut off from their sister tribe, they had their waterbenders cruelly stolen from them, until there was only one remaining." Aang directed another sorrowful glance towards Katara before continuing.

"The people of the Southern Water Tribe are some of the hardiest in the world, and I am proud to count several of their people amongst my greatest friends. They have certainly suffered enough. However, I cannot agree to the creation of this trade route. The disruption to the lives of the people of the southern Earth Kingdom would be too great. They too have suffered under the Fire Nation, and they too require resources. Resources which they would not receive if this route were established. I extend my deepest apologies to Chief Hakoda and his people, but I will not agree to their proposition."

Aang sat down again, leaving the room in stunned silence, though everyone for different reasons. The diplomats from the Earth Kingdom, as well as Fire Lord Zuko, had fully expected him to practically _force_ the creation of the route, considering his personal involvement with members of the tribe. Conversely, the representatives of the Southern Water Tribe were absolutely shocked at the Avatar's decision. None more so than Katara. She had held high hopes for the deal, and the blow Aang struck to her with his denial of the route's creation was far more significant than she ever expected. Aang saw the crushed look on her face and had to turn away. _She probably thinks I'm a traitor_, he thought. He grimaced at the very idea, but at that meeting he couldn't afford to be Aang. He had to be the Avatar.

The first to collect their thoughts was the Earth King's assistant.

"Needless to say, his Royal Highness will also refuse the terms of the agreement," he started. "Does the leader of the Southern Water Tribe have anything to add?"

Chief Hakoda let out a long, disappointed sigh. He stood and looked straight at the young airbender across the room. Aang could feel the man's eyes on him.

"We regret that this is the decision that has been reached. We believed, perhaps, that after enduring such great hardship for over a century that we would be granted some sort of reprieve, especially considering the direct participation of our people in the defeat of Fire Lord Ozai. However, it seems that the Avatar does not agree that we should be granted such assistance. We will not press the issue further. Thank you for your time and consideration."

Hakoda's words hit harder than he might have known, and Aang was fighting back tears right in the middle of the Earth King's palace. He had heard the ice in Hakoda's voice, and just wanted to get out. Out of his presence and out of that meeting. Aang desperately wanted to help the Southern Water Tribe, but he couldn't just abandon the people of the Earth Kingdom.

"Then if there is no further business, this meeting is adjourned."

There was much subdued muttering as the politicians of the world left the hall, leaving the dejected Avatar to face the members of the tribe that he had just denied.

Hakoda shot him one last glare before standing to leave. He was followed by the rest of the delegation, and by his daughter.

"Katara!" Aang called after her, but she blatantly ignored him. "Katara, please!" he called again as he started off down the corridor after her.

"Katara, I'm sorry, but I couldn't just ignore the needs of the Earth Kingdom. Please, you have to believe me, this isn't what I wanted. Give me time, I'll renegotiate, please, let me fix this…"

She stopped walking for a brief moment, turning to face him. "Just forget about it, Aang." She said, her voice dangerously quiet.

"I'm sorry…" he started again, but she didn't stick around to hear it. As far as she was concerned, she had heard enough.

* * *

When the young airbender arrived at the Jasmine Dragon tea shop later that evening, the air became thick with tension. From outside he had heard laughter and joviality, and it was that which had given him the confidence to enter in the first place. Upon entering, however, he was fixed upon by six sets of eyes. But it was the two pairs of deep, ocean blue eyes that affected him most of all. After several tense seconds, it was Toph who decided to break the silence.

"Hey, Iroh, we got another one out here!"

"Does he want tea?" came the voice from the kitchen.

"You were gonna make it anyway right?"

"It's already made!" Iroh announced proudly as he entered, tray in hand. Toph and Suki managed laughs, even Mai smiled a little, but the silence from the other four was becoming disconcerting. Iroh handed out the tea before disappearing back into the kitchen.

Aang took a seat next to Toph, and the conversation slowly started up again. After a few minutes, however, it became all too obvious how awkward his arrival had made things, and Aang got up to leave. As he did so Toph grabbed his sleeve and pulled him down to whisper to him.

"Hey, listen, I heard about what you said. I know Sugar Queen might not like it but, if it means anything, I think you did the right thing." Toph gave Aang what she hoped was a reassuring smile.

Aang simply sighed. Admittedly, it did mean something, but he wasn't quite up to showing it just yet. "Thanks, Toph" was all he could manage.

"Don't think too much about it, okay?"

"Okay."

Aang found his way out to the balcony where he and Katara had shared their first proper kiss. He couldn't bear the memory, and he wondered whether he would ever get that opportunity again. He had had disagreements with Katara before, but he was afraid that going against her entire tribe would be the straw that broke the camel's back.

He was so caught up in his thoughts that he hardly noticed Iroh come walking up beside him.

"Zuko told me about the choice you had to make. I am sorry that it had to be made at all, and even more so that you were the one who had to make it."

Aang simply gazed at the horizon.

"I understand," Iroh continued, undeterred. "I think you made a very wise choice. There certainly would have been great dissention in the southern Earth Kingdom."

Aang remained silent.

"I know this political talk means nothing right now, but I want you to know that I would have made the same decision, and that I think that you are a very strong young man."

Aang sighed again. "Thank you, General Iroh"

"Please, Avatar Aang, just call me Iroh," he instructed.

Aang smiled, for the first time in hours.

"I hope I can be as wise as you when I grow up." Aang mused.

"Are you calling me old?" gasped Iroh, in mock-offense. He smiled to himself before continuing.

"Well, I hope that I can be as wise as you, Aang." Aang beamed again, before Iroh re-joined his friends. The brief talk with Iroh had put him in better spirits, though he knew it would only be temporary. After a few more minutes of quiet reflection, he skulked off to bed.

* * *

Aang awoke from a restless sleep to find that it was still the middle of the night. He sighed, for what felt like the millionth time that day, and rolled out of bed, put on his robes and ventured downstairs into the empty tea shop. He hadn't gotten far before a familiar voice in the darkness caught his attention.

"Couldn't sleep, huh?" asked Sokka, who Aang had now noticed was seated right next to where he had emerged from the bottom of the stairs.

"Me neither." He continued.

"Oh, hey Sokka, I guess I didn't see you there." Aang said, awkwardly. The two lapsed into an uneasy silence before Sokka broke it.

"Aang…" he said. "I want you to know that I'm not angry with you for turning down the trade route." The confession caught Aang off guard. He was certain that Sokka would be as upset as anyone.

"Oh, Sokka, I…" Aang started, but Sokka raised a hand for silence.

"Me and my dad had a talk about it earlier. I can't say that we're happy with the decision, but I understand why you made it. We decided that if we were from those Earth Kingdom villages then we wouldn't have been too thrilled by the proposal either. I guess I just expected the deal to go through because we're such good buddies. But sometimes I forget that you're the Avatar too, and you have to look out for everyone, not just your friends." He took a long breath, and Aang seized the opportunity.

"Sokka, I don't want you for a minute to think that I'm not looking out for you."

"I don't think that. When I look back, I actually feel like I respect you more for making the decision you did. I don't think that I could have made a tough call like that. Heh, and I'm supposed to be chief one day."

"This means a lot, Sokka. I was so worried that this would come between us." Admitted Aang, mournfully.

"Are you kidding, Aang? After what we've been through, Fire Lord Ozai couldn't come between us, let alone some political squabble." Sokka stood up and took his friend by the arm in the traditional water tribe greeting.

"I do have to warn you though, Katara is _not_ happy about this. She doesn't know politics like you or my dad do, and I think she's taken it kinda personally." Aang winced at the thought.

"I'm sorry, again, Sokka. I wish things could have been different. Maybe if the Earth Kingdom had been a little more flexible I could've…"

"Aang stop. I've already forgiven you. Besides, I don't think it's me you need to apologise to."

Aang nodded as Sokka crept back upstairs, mindful that his friends were world famous for saving the world, not for being heavy sleepers.

Aang made his way out into the garden. The air was bracingly cold, but Aang was blissfully unaware. The moon shone brilliantly, and illuminated the space. It was remarkably quiet, although in the distance the night life of Ba Sing Se could quite clearly be heard. He was so lost in thought, again, that he almost didn't notice a certain water bender sitting on a nearby bench, facing away from him. _Now's as good a time as any,_ he thought, and steeled himself for the conversation to come.

He walked up behind his friend and drew breath to speak, but she beat him to it.

"Go away," she mumbled weakly.

Aang stood frozen, wrestling with himself as to what he should do next. Every self-preservation instinct in him was screaming for him to turn and run, to salvage what dignity he had. But a small part of him knew that he couldn't leave things as they were, and so he decided that, for better or for worse, he would be the one to initiate the conversation.

"Katara, I…" he started. He was afraid that he would be unable to think of anything to say beyond that, but his fears were assuaged when she interrupted him.

"_Go away,_" she said again, with conviction in her voice.

"Please, just listen to me…" he started up again. Again she interrupted.

"I said, go away!" she said slowly, her voice risen noticeably.

"I will, but I just need to talk to you." He stopped, and hoped that she would stop repeating herself. She didn't respond, so he took it as an indication that he was free to speak.

"I want to tell you that I'm sorry. I really wish that there was another way for this to work, but I can't just ignore the needs of the Earth Kingdom."

"Oh, right, but you're perfectly happy to ignore then needs of _my _people, huh?" she queried acidically. "You can make sure that the Earth Kingdom is warm and safe while the Southern Water Tribe freezes to death!" her voice was nearly a shout, and Aang could see her mentally pulling herself back.

"Katara…" his voice was full of hurt by now. "You know that isn't what I wanted, that's not why I did what I did…" he trailed off.

"I don't care, Aang. I've had enough excuses. Even my father tried to convince me that you were 'just being fair', or 'thinking about the big picture'" she mocked. "But I just don't care anymore. I don't want to hear it from my dad and I don't want to hear it from you!"

Aang simply stared at her, his hurt obvious, but this only served to aggravate her further.

"You just don't understand, Aang, you don't know what winter is down there. People could die, Aang, and you're doing nothing!"

"No one's going to die, Katara. If Sokka thought they would then he wouldn't have forgiven me, would he!?" he realised afterwards that he could have chosen his words better, but he was upset too, and she wouldn't even give him a chance.

"Oh, so that makes it all alright, does it? My brother forgives you, so I have to as well? He doesn't understand either! He doesn't know what it's like to be the last!" she was shouting now, and had left the bench to stand, facing him.

"I do," said Aang quietly. This threw Katara off guard and for a second, she almost felt like abandoning her tirade to forgive him. But the thought that he had gotten to her once again caused her anger to come surging back with full force.

Words flowed from her like a sickening volcano, a waterfall of anger until there was nothing more she could think of to say, no more words she could use to voice her hurt. It was the closest she had ever come to hating him, and she couldn't help but feel a little bit betrayed. For the most part, Aang stood there and took the brunt of her words heroically, with little to no reaction. He could understand her fears and wouldn't judge her for voicing her anger.

"I should have known that you would choke on the tough decisions, Aang!" she ranted. "You couldn't even kill Ozai!" These words caused Aang to flinch visibly.

"I thought you cared about me, Aang. I thought you _loved _me, but I guess that's another thing I don't know very much about!" At that he recoiled out of shame and averted his gaze.

For a brief moment, Katara felt relief. She had finally gotten off her chest all that had been scaring her for the past few days. She also felt proud, in a way, proud that she had been brave enough to tell Aang how she was feeling. For those few seconds she was content. Suddenly, her mouth released a string of words that she would regret for a very long time.

"As if you weren't content with letting your own people down, now you're letting mine down too!" she concluded, her voice piercingly loud, as angry as she had ever sounded.

The next sound from her mouth was a brief gasp. She couldn't believe what she had just said, and from the looks of it, neither could he. Suddenly, her rant returned to her in a flood of hatred. As she recalled her words, she was shocked at how horrible she had been to the one person who had never left her side, who had always supported her and had loved her with all his heart. Tears filled Katara's eyes, and she was filled with overwhelming regret.

Aang was stunned, to say the least. He felt like he was totally numb, and his legs almost gave way. He shuffled over to a nearby tree, placed a hand on it to steady himself and started crying like he had never cried before. He felt like he was going to be sick. Katara just stared at him. His strangled sobs were the only sound, as his body shook with grief.

After what felt like minutes she went over to try to touch him. She had shattered something in him that night, and she knew it. She placed a hand on his shoulder, in a desperate attempt to comfort him. She would have done anything to go back and stop herself, to have him back. When he didn't react to her touch, she put her arms around him in a fierce embrace, her own tears flowing freely now. For minutes they stood, their hearts in tatters.

Then, without warning, Aang stopped crying and stood rigidly up. The shock stopped Katara's tears in their tracks. She hoped it was a good sign, but the moment she peered to look tentatively into his eyes, she was pained once again. There was nothing there, no discernible emotion. He was just looking straight ahead. Suddenly, Katara found her arms empty. In one swift movement Aang was free and was walking back to the tea shop.

"No…" she whispered. "Aang, please come back, please." She pleaded with him to forgive her and to look at her. He stood perfectly still.

"Don't run away from me, Aang. Not again…" she said, her voice quivering with desperation.

Suddenly a huge gust of wind knocked her onto her back. She held on to the ground fearing that it would blow her clean away. When she was finally able to look up she saw Aang looming over her, his brow creased into a scowl, and his eyes and his tattoos glowing intensely. For the first time in her life, she was truly afraid of him. The sweet, caring boy that she had fallen in love with was now transformed into a terrifying image of anger and power. But she knew that she had no excuse to be afraid. After all, it was _her_ that had forced him to lose control with her venomous accusations. She noticed from the corner of her eye that a group of her friends had gathered in the doorway. She could barely hear their voices above the wind.

"What did you do?!"

"Katara, get away from him!"

"Come, on Twinkle Toes, snap out of it!"

The voice of one-thousand Avatar's spoke, each one screaming at her with impossible rage.

**"I thought I loved you too!"**

The words tore Katara's heart, and she prayed that this wasn't the end of them, that he didn't mean that, that it was the pain talking, that they would have more time to be together, that she could fix things. She couldn't imagine life without him anymore.

Aang then clenched his fists and brought them to his centre, and she recognised it as an airbending stance. She had seen him practise it several times, and she thought it ironic that that would be what sprung to mind at such a moment. She put it down to being hopelessly in love with him, but now was obviously not the time for sentiment. Her whole body froze in fear as Aang thrust his fist forwards. She braced herself for impact, but when she opened her eyes, Aang was gone, and less than a second later Sokka collapsed on top of her. He had attempted to tackle Aang before he could strike, but Aang wasn't there to be tackled.

Her friends began frantically questioning her, helping her up, dusting her off, but her eyes were trained on the sky. Aang had launched himself tens of meters into the air and had flown off into the winding streets of Ba Sing Se. At once she was shaken, worried and, oddly, relieved. Relieved to know that he would never hurt her, and worried that she had thought that he might. Had things really changed _that_ much?

_What have I done? _She thought, before her friends decided that her interrogation could wait until morning and ushered her off to bed.

* * *

Katara awoke the next morning, convinced that she had just had the most dreadful nightmare. She rose slowly, reasoning that she could take her time seeing as how she was no longer required to attend any meetings. She wondered if she should tell Aang about her nightmare, and wondered if he had noticed that she had been avoiding him. She groaned as realised that _of course_ he noticed, how could he have missed it? She decided that she would swallow her pride, and go to him and apologise. She had hurt him enough, and she knew that she was overreacting. Aang had been right in the meeting, the Southern Water Tribe _was_ hardy, after all, and they had seen worse and come through it.

However, as she went downstairs, she noticed that there was a tangible tension in the air. The tea shop was mysteriously quiet, and her friends seemed to have a hard time meeting her gaze. Only Sokka and Iroh managed a "Good morning."

"What's the matter guys?" she asked.

"You mean you don't remember?"

"Remember what?" she prodded. Her friends stayed silent.

"Come on guys, seriously, what happened?"

"You don't remember last night?"

It came back to her then. It wasn't a nightmare, it was cold, hard reality. Tears filled her eyes as she gasped in stunned realisation. She ran frantically around the tea shop, desperately calling the boy's name. Eventually she arrived back in the restaurant and began interrogating her friends as to Aang's whereabouts.

"We don't know, Katara," said Zuko, finally. "Appa's still here, but we haven't seen him since last night."

"What? Well, do you have any idea where he might be?!" she asked, eyes widened, madly.

"There's been no sign of him at all. I can't sense his vibrations anywhere, and I've been looking all morning." Toph added. Katara had heard enough.

Katara spent much of the rest of the day sulking in her room, tortured by her regret and desperately thinking of ways to make it up to Aang, to convince him to forgive her. She cried for hours, and though all of her friends had tried their hand at making her feel better, no one had been particularly successful, so for the most part they left her alone, taking her food to her and nothing more.

Aang finally walked into the tea shop late in the evening, and Katara had initially been thrilled that he had returned at all. She had heard him talking with her friends and almost ran down the staircase to see him. But when she reached the tea shop, she found that she was once again terrified. When he looked at her she could see nothing in his eyes. She almost broke down again, and for the rest of the evening he avoided her, not even bothering to conceal his efforts.

They went to their respective rooms without even a word. Katara was up half the night worrying about what she would say, what she _could_ say, and what he might not. In the morning, however, her worrying was revealed to have been for naught. She walked outside to find that there was a suspicious lack of giant sky bison anywhere near the tea shop. Appa wasn't there.

But worse than that, Aang was gone, too. Her head fell into her hands and she sobbed hopelessly until she was half dragged back inside by her brother. She wondered if this was how Aang had felt when he lost Appa in the desert, having lost the most important thing in the world to him. She knew the feeling all too well already.

"Please, Aang. Come back. Please…" she whispered through her fingers before falling into bed. Needless to say, it was hardly a good night's sleep. For either of them.


	2. Chapter 2

Aang had flown all night on Appa, his trusty sky bison. He was heading for the Southern Air Temple. The one place where he could feel the love of his people all around him. His home. His _true_ home. Or at least he tried to tell himself that it was home. Truthfully, it didn't feel like home to him. No place felt quite like home to Aang if Katara wasn't there to share it with him.

He made his way up past the airball field, and memories of his people came flooding back. The torrent of longing kept pounding away at him as he made his way through the abandoned structure. He kept a tight rein on his emotions up until he reached the statue of his mentor, and friend, Gyatso. Aang collapsed to the floor, tears streaming down his face.

"I'm so sorry, Gyatso. I'm so sorry I let you down. I wish I'd never run away, there's nothing here for me now." His words went unheard. The air taunted him with its stillness.

After a few minutes he was able to compose himself long enough to make his way to his old room. He crept in and slowly walked over to his bed. For the second time that day, it struck him how utterly quiet it was and how alone he felt.

He sat up on his bed and began to meditate. He closed his eyes as his fists met in his lap, and within minutes he awoke, inside himself. He found himself on some high mountain, and stood across from him was his past life and mentor, Avatar Roku.

"Welcome, Aang. It has been a while," smiled Roku.

"Oh, yeah, sorry about that." Aang rubbed the back of his neck and blushed as he realised that in the two years since the war had ended he hadn't spoken to any of his past lives.

"Don't be, I understand that you have had a lot of work to do recently."

"You could say that."

"We are all so proud of you, Avatar Aang." For the first time in a while, Aang smiled a full, happy smile.

"Thank you, Roku. That means more than you know."

Roku's expression then changed to one altogether more serious.

"I can see that, despite the war's end, you are more troubled than ever. What is it that is bothering you?"

"It's nothing really, in fact I feel kind of silly for dragging you out here to talk to me."

"I always have time for you, Aang." Roku gave the young airbender a reassuring smile. Aang stumbled over his words, trying to figure out a way to start. Roku recognised the problem immediately.

"Problems of the heart, young Avatar?" he asked.

"Um… yeah… I guess, but, I don't know, I think I messed up real big this time."

"Well, why don't you tell me about it?"

"Well, I had to make this big decision about whether or not to allow the creation of a new trade route. My friends were really counting on me to back it, but I just couldn't do it. It would have caused unnecessary suffering to the people of the Earth Kingdom, and I couldn't just abandon them, not when some of their villages were just as badly damaged as those in the Southern Water Tribe. I think it really upset them, and then when I went to talk to Katara about it…" Aang faltered as the painful memory worked its way out.

"The waterbender?" queried Roku.

"Yeah…" Aang couldn't help but smile to himself. Even the mention of her name could send him silly. The besotted look on his face caused Roku to smile again, but the look quickly disappeared as Aang started up again.

"When I went to talk to her about it, we started arguing, and shouting, and she said some awful, hurtful things." Aang didn't know if he could cry in the spirit world, but he felt close to it.

"You lost control…" Roku finished for him.

"I don't know what to do, Roku," said Aang, desperately, "I don't think she ever wants to see me again. I must have really scared her, and I don't know how to fix that. But I want to see her; I want to be with her all the time, I want her to forgive me, Roku, and I want to forgive her. I want her to want me, please, I need some advice."

The Fire Nation Avatar sighed. He gazed at Aang with kind, old eyes. He gave Aang a small, reassuring smile before speaking.

"Love is a very complicated thing, Aang. I can see that you love this girl very much."

"I do, I really do."

"And, from what I have seen," continued Roku, "I would say that she loves you just as powerfully."

"But how can she ever forgive me after what I did?"

"I believe that you did the right thing, Aang. It was not your decision that caused this problem. You have shown her nothing but kindness, and she cannot stop loving you for that." Roku smiled when he saw that he had been able to charm forth a smile from Aang. "It is true that the Avatar State can appear fearsome, but it was, after all, _her_ words that hurt _you_." At this Aang's smile disappeared, but he couldn't argue with Roku's observation.

"Ta Min and I had our fair share of arguments, too, but we worked through them as any couple should, and in the end they helped us to understand one another. They made us stronger."

At these words, Aang found himself to be genuinely hopeful for the first time in weeks.

"Thank you for your sage advice, Avatar Roku."

"I wouldn't call it 'sage advice', Aang," said Roku, "perhaps 'common knowledge' would be a more appropriate label." Aang couldn't stop himself from letting a little laughter out.

"Thank you."

"Before you go, there is someone else here who would like to speak with you." Roku said cryptically before vanishing into the surrounding haze. Aang sat for several pensive minutes wondering which Avatar would need to see him so badly, before Avatar Yangchen materialised in front of him. It was then he realised that _he_ had wanted to speak to _her_ all along.

"Roku is right, you know," she said kindly, "we are all _very _proud of you."

* * *

Katara found herself once again deep in the cave of fear that she had been living in since her mother died. In the years that followed the darkening of her world, she had only grown _accustomed_ to the dark, and she had never for a moment stopped fearing it. She still feared it more than anything. Only Aang had been able to shine a purifying light into her life and lead her to the exit of the cave. But in one night she had turned and pitched herself straight back in. She had taken the love that Aang had shown her and spat on it. And all of a sudden she was scared again.

She decided the day that he left that she had never been as afraid of anything as she had been of losing Aang. The greatest thing in her life was now out of her reach, and might never return to her. It was this very fear that had kept her _away _from him in the first place, and it had been very difficult for her to let go of the fear entirely and to love Aang with everything she had. But now the fear was greater than ever and was growing. She was afraid that he would be unable to forgive her, and she was afraid that she would be afraid for the rest of her life. _How ironic_, she had thought, _a fear of fear._

Katara rarely left the Jasmine Dragon, and when she did she found that everything reminded her of Aang. She couldn't help but seethe when she saw or heard Sokka and Suki, or Zuko and Mai, exchange loving glances or laugh together. She wished that she had someone with her to hold and to laugh with, but every time she wished for it she was struck with the bitter realisation that she had been the one to drive that someone away.

She found herself spending more and more time with Toph. She was thankful for the blind girl's affected indifference to her situation because, as much as she _did_ want to talk about it, she didn't want anyone to ask her if she wanted to talk about it.

"You know, Katara, sometimes, if I didn't know any better, I'd swear you were an earthbender," mused the blind girl.

"What do you mean by that, Toph?" she was suddenly on guard, but she had figured out the answer before it could be given.

"Because you're so damn stubborn, that's why," Toph said, casually. "I mean, I'm not saying that's a bad thing."

"Uh… thanks for that, Toph, but I really don't see what that has to do with anything," Katara shot back.

"Seems to me like it does," Toph observed. She paused for a moment before continuing. "You know I heard everything you said the other night, right?"

Katara drew in a sharp breath. "You heard that, huh?"

"We all did."

"I guess that isn't really surprising."

"Well, it was what you _said _that was surprising to me," said Toph, her voice betraying the tiniest hint of annoyance, "I never thought you would say something like that to anyone, ever."

"Well, you obviously don't know a lot about me, then, Toph," Katara said hotly.

"Obviously not…" Toph was silent for several seconds, and Katara couldn't help but wonder what she would say next. Though she didn't like to admit it, Toph's directness and low tolerance for 'brattiness', as she had so often put it, was often just what she needed, especially in matters regarding Aang.

"I guess I don't know a whole lot about Aang, either. I never expected him to go into the Avatar State, especially not because of you. I mean, you always used to be able to bring him _out_ of it. I thought he'd mastered it, but I guess it isn't that simple with such great power, huh?" Katara remained silent.

"I'll bet he tells you all about that stuff, right? I mean, it's not like there's anyone else he can tell everything to." Katara felt a familiar sadness well up in her as she remembered Aang's eyes that night. The look on his face was enough to bring tears to her eyes, but she valiantly fought them back.

"He really trusts you, you know," she concluded, "his heart goes wild whenever he's around you."

That did it. Katara's head fell into her hands. She sobbed and shook her head. Toph recoiled, more than a little annoyed that Katara was crying _yet again_. She placed a comforting hand on her friend's shoulder, to try and stem the flow of tears if nothing else.

"Hey, it's alright. I never meant to upset you," she began. "There's no way Aang could stay mad at you, not even I can do that."

"You didn't see his face, Toph, you have no idea how hurt he was. I messed up, I really did, and I just want to have him here to hold him and apologise and tell him I love him, but I'm scared, Toph." Katara's voice wobbled as she unloaded her emotions on the earthbender.

"What are you scared of, Katara?" she asked softly. Years of being around the most emotional couple in the entire world had taught her a thing or two about comforting people.

"I'm scared that I won't get the chance, ever again. I'm scared that, even if I do get the chance, he won't take me back, he won't forgive me. I'm scared of living my life without him, Toph, because I just can't imagine him not being around anymore."

"Katara, it'll be okay. If I've learned even one thing about old Twinkle Toes, it's that he loves you more than anything. Really. He wouldn't just leave and never come back because of one silly argument. Besides, you two were due a bust up for a while now," Toph added with a smirk. "I know it probably feels hopeless to you right now, hey, what else is new? But he'll come back, I'd bet anything on it."

To Toph's great relief, Katara finally stopped crying. She let out a shaky sigh before facing the blind girl. Katara put on a weak smile, even if it was a bit pointless to smile at Toph.

"Thanks, Toph. You know, you're pretty wise for your age."

"Eh, that's what you get from hanging around with Twinkle Toes for all these years, huh?" she said with a smile. "Not to mention Iroh since you six are always off sucking face or something," she added drolly. Katara couldn't help herself, and smiled.

_He'll come back_, she thought. _He has to._

* * *

"Avatar Yangchen, Roku tells me that you wish to speak with me," Aang said, doing his absolute best to sound as mature and serious as possible. He had always felt that when speaking to Yangchen, he had to be totally focused, just as she always seemed to be. He also felt, that as the last airbender and the Avatar, he really had to impress her. He had to convince her that he was entirely worthy of carrying both titles.

Just then, she caught him completely off guard by cracking a huge smile before speaking.

"Lighten up, Aang, the war is over, relax," she instructed him, "It would appear to me that you would have a lot to be happy about."

Aang was so surprised by her sudden change in disposition that he stumbled over his words, and, after several seconds of trying to force the words out, he sighed and gave up.

"I can tell what you're thinking, Aang. It's written on your face. You're wondering why I'm suddenly so upbeat, when for years it seemed as though I were the most serious Avatar of them all."

"I don't know, Kyoshi comes close," Aang said, smirking, swept along by Yangchen's positivity.

"Kyoshi's more 'scary' than serious," Yangchen said, even adding air quotes, "or at least she tries to be." Aang was lost for words again. Avatar Yangchen _making a joke?_ He must have accidentally ingested some cactus juice or something.

"Don't forget, young one, I was an air nomad long before I was the Avatar." Aang smiled at her again. But his grey eyes clouded again as he realised why he had subconsciously called her there.

"Speaking of the Air Nomads, I've been thinking about what happened to them." The memories of his people came thick and fast, and his heart was filled with great sadness once again.

"I thought that I had been able to forgive myself for what happened to them, but lately I've been thinking that maybe it really was my fault. I feel like I really let them down. I'm not going to make guesses about what might have happened if I hadn't run away, but…" he trailed off, and Yangchen gaze met his , her eyes filled with compassion and concern. "I miss them, Yangchen."

"Aang, it has been said before, but you must know that nobody blames you for the fate of the air nomads. You could not have prevented it. The universe works in mysterious ways, but I believe that our people will return some day. That is the way it has to be and so that is the way it _will_ be. Do not lose hope, young Avatar."

"The monks use to say that hope is just a distraction." Aang murmured.

"Well, what do those stuffy old fools know, anyway?" Yangchen asked. A small smile found its way to Aang's face before disappearing again, as quickly as it had arrived.

"Do not forget that the Avatar can never fully detach itself from the world. The Avatar must never lose hope, and must never stop caring for the world, if it is to fulfil its duty."

Aang couldn't help but think back to when he lost Appa, the emptiness he had felt, and how Katara had told him something remarkably similar, that it was okay to hope, and to care.

"I miss our people too, Aang. When the Fire Nation armies tore our temples asunder, I watched from the spirit world. I wept for our people, but I clung to the hope that you would put things right, that our people would live again. Aang, if you had stayed at the Southern Air Temple, then there wouldn't be any hope at all. You have done incredibly well. The Avatar has the power to give hope to _all_, Aang. Even itself."

"Thanks, I guess, but I don't know if I'll ever really get over it. Not until I find a way to fix things."

"You will heal in time, Avatar Aang."

Aang and Yangchen sat in silent contemplation for several minutes, reliving their lives as air nomads, not Avatars, in their heads. It was Yangchen who finally broke the silence.

"I must apologise to you Aang," she said. She was making a habit of catching Aang off guard.

"For what, Yangchen?" he asked, his surprise evident.

"When we spoke on the Lion Turtle, I told you that you would have to sacrifice your spiritual needs for the needs of the world. I told you that there was no other way to defeat the Fire Lord, but that was not the case. I am sorry if what I said upset you."

"You don't need to apologise, you couldn't have known that there was another way. Energybending has been lost for thousands of years." Aang was quite perplexed that she felt the need to apologise for asking him to do what was, at the time, the only option for bringing peace.

"Yes, Aang, and I must say I am quite impressed with your ability. But, even so, I should never have asked you to kill. I suppose that, in my eagerness to end the war, I viewed you as merely another Avatar, a tool, rather than what you are. You are an air nomad, and I am sorry."

"That's okay, Yangchen, I probably would have done the same thing if I was in your position. I forgive you."

"I was right when I said that the monks taught you well," she said with a smile. "But I must ask you, if you can forgive me so easily, then why not yourself?" Aang looked away.

"You are strong enough to forgive yourself, Aang. I think you are strong enough to forgive anyone." Aang knew straight away who she was talking about, yet he remained silent.

"You love her dearly, don't you, young one?"

"Yes…" he sighed, "I do."

"Good," she said. Avatar Yangchen smiled at Aang once more, before disappearing altogether. Aang sat alone and thought. He sat pensively for what felt like hours, musing on his old way of life, when suddenly he remembered where he was.

"Oh, no!" he cried, as he remembered how strangely time behaved when he was in the Spirit World.

* * *

Aang awoke on his bed, wondering frantically how much time had passed. It was the dead of night when he awoke, but he highly doubted that it had only been a day or two. Before long, however, his worrying was interrupted by an intense hunger. The Avatar spirit had sustained him, but his stomach was as empty as ever. He found his way into the garden and picked himself a lunch. When he returned to the courtyard, he was surprised to see Appa there waiting for him.

"Hey, boy. How long was I out?" he wondered out loud. Appa merely growled, as if to say "Too long."

"I'm sorry, Appa, but you know how the spirits get." Appa bowed his head. He _did_ know.

"Well," Aang said, "you're still alive so I guess you've been able to find your own food. You must still be pretty hungry, though. Come on, let's eat, and in the morning we'll head back to Ba Sing Se, okay?" Appa licked his master as if it was the best news he had ever heard. Aang scrounged up a large meal for Appa before sitting down to enjoy his own.

He fell asleep by the bison that night, his gaze on the Southern Air Temple until his eyes closed. For the first time in a long time, he dreamt of the temple being full of life again, with airbenders and lemurs and sky bison frolicking together in the morning sun. This time, however, there was no screaming, no voice accusing him of abandoning them, and no Fire Nation. There were only sweet, happy memories of his people, and he smiled as he slept.

* * *

"Come one, Katara, you've barely touched your sea prunes," Sokka observed, "Iroh bought these especially to make you feel better, and you're still not eating."

The seven of them sat around the dining table in Iroh's tea shop. For the most part, the friends wolfed down their meals, as Iroh, Sokka and Suki had recently taken a day to go shopping in the lower ring of Ba Sing Se. When Iroh mentioned it as a possibility, Sokka didn't need telling twice and before Suki knew it she was being dragged along too. The warrior came up with the idea of buying everyone's favourite meal, to take their minds off of Aang's sudden disappearance. Sokka had intended to pay for the majority, but Iroh insisted that it be his treat.

"Look, I know you're worried about Aang, but you need to stop moping around. He's gonna come back, he always does."

Sokka was exasperated. His sister had retreated into a shell of grief in the three weeks since Aang had disappeared, and there was no sign that she would be coming out of it anytime soon.

"I guess I'm just not hungry," she half-whispered, "thank you for the meal Iroh, but I just don't feel like eating."

"Come on, don't be rude, Katara."

"Iroh, I'm not trying to be-"

"It is no trouble, Katara. If you do not feel like eating, then I will not force you to," Iroh interjected with a smile. "If you do feel like eating, your meal will be waiting for you."

"Thank you." With that, she left. As she walked out onto the balcony of the Jasmine Dragon, she could hear her friends discussing her current state. Iroh had told her that he went through a similar period of grief when he lost his son, Lu Ten, but the others didn't quite understand. They had experienced loss, but in her case the loss had been entirely her own fault. They hadn't ruined a relationship, or broken a heart, and they couldn't understand.

After several minutes of wallowing in sorrow, she decided that perhaps the balcony, where her relationship with Aang had 'officially' begun, was not the wisest choice of places to go and think, given that she was trying to_ distance_ herself from the painful memories.

Even she had to admit, however, that she wasn't coping well with Aang's disappearance. She wasn't eating nearly as much as the others and she often found herself with hardly any energy at all. When she tried to waterbend, if she could even bring herself to do it without being crippled by her memories of training Aang, her focus was totally off, and she had slipped and hurt herself more than once. On one occasion, she had challenged Toph to a bending match, and it was _Toph_ who had called the match to a halt on account of Katara's lack of focus.

When she wasn't ignoring her friends or being given pep talks by her brother, her thoughts turned to Aang. Where could he have gone? Had anything happened to him, or was he simply staying away from her? She didn't know which she feared the most. On one hand, she would be beyond hurt if he never returned because of her, but on the other hand, if something _had_ happened to him, she would never forgive herself. If she was unable to heal him, to take care of him, all because of her own stupid words, she would hate herself beyond measure.

Suddenly, her attention was drawn to the sound of footsteps behind her. She wondered which of her friends would attempt to draw her from her 'shell of grief' now. As it turned out, it was the new Fire Lord.

"Katara…" he began.

"Don't bother, Zuko," she interrupted, "I don't want to hear whatever it is Sokka has told you to say. Whatever it is it won't help, and it won't stop me hurting."

"Actually, Sokka didn't tell me to say anything," Zuko said.

"He didn't?" Katara asked as she turned to face him.

"No. Look, I- I know we aren't the best of friends, considering our, um, past," Katara shot him a funny look, and realised that he still felt guilty for hunting them for so long, even though since then he had more than made up for it.

"But, I just wanted you to know that you can talk to me, if you want. I mean, I understand if you don't, but I'm willing to listen. Even if you just feel like you need someone to shout at, I'd be happy to be the 'gets-shouted-at-by-Katara-guy', um, if you need me to be. I mean, I _have_ got some experience in that role, after our stay at the Western Air Temple." Katara couldn't help but smile at his awkward sincerity, and this gave him the confidence to continue.

"I'm just trying to say that I'm here for you. We all are." At this Katara sighed.

"I know you are, Zuko. It doesn't help, though. Aang _isn't_ here, and it's all my fault." She looked down at her shoes. "Thanks anyway."

"You've probably heard it a million times, but you know he'll come back, right?" Zuko queried softly.

"And what if he doesn't, Zuko? What am I supposed to do then? How can I go on? I mean, how would you feel if Mai just stood up and left you, and you were stuck knowing that it was all your fault? How do you know he'll come back?" her voice was raising itself again, and she stopped before she blew up.

Zuko thought for a moment, wondering what his uncle would do. He had a pretty good idea: he would tell an anecdote. So that's what Zuko did.

"I know that Aang's going to come back, because when I ran away to join you guys on the Day of Black Sun, the most painful thing for me was leaving Mai behind."

Katara was shocked by his admission, and wondered why she had never asked him about the circumstances regarding his escape from the Fire Nation.

"Every day, I had to fight the urge to just hop in my war balloon and go to her, to run back to the Fire Nation and tell her I was okay, that I was sorry, and to be with her. I know that Aang will be feeling the exact same thing right now. It's hurting him to be away from you, and I know that because it hurt me to be away from Mai, to know that she was worrying about me, and that I couldn't be there for her. I know Aang will come back, because that was _all_ I wanted to do when I left, but then I had a century long war to end, and a genocide to stop. What's keeping Aang away? Nothing, that's what. He'll come back because he wants to, I know he does." At the end of his passionate speech Zuko let out a long, heavy sigh.

"I'm sorry, I kind of unloaded on you there, but what I said is still true."

"Zuko, I never knew…" started Katara, but it was Zuko who interrupted her this time.

"Katara, it doesn't matter now. It's in the past. Mai and I are together, and that's what matters. Just don't lose the hope that he'll come back, okay?"

With that, the Fire Lord left her alone, but his words had made a great impact on her. This was evidence, solid evidence, which she couldn't repudiate. It made her happy to know that Aang was missing her, that he wanted her, because there was nothing more in the world that she could think of that she wanted more than for Aang to want her. She smiled to herself, finally possessing the strength that she had needed. Aang would come back for her, and she would be waiting.


	3. Chapter 3

"Come on, Appa. It's time to head back." Aang called. His bison emitted a long, low growl.

"I know boy, I disappear for two weeks, and as soon as I come back we're heading off again," Aang said, "I know I'm not being fair to you, but I've been away for way too long. The others are probably worried sick by now." Secretly, Aang was _hoping_ that they were worried. He wasn't exactly the pinnacle of self-confidence at that moment and what he really needed was confirmation that they needed him as much as he needed them. He told himself that, after all they'd been through together, there was no way they _didn't_ care about him. But he was having trouble believing himself. He wanted to hear it from the others, as silly as that sounded, even to him.

Appa stood at his master's words, but he was slow and lethargic, exaggerating every movement. If Aang didn't know any better, he'd have sworn that Appa was making fun of him.

"Thanks, boy. I'll make it up to you, I promise. I know it's hard to leave, but we'll come back here one day. We'll have to if the future air nomads are going to live here." Aang's talk with his past lives the previous night had done him a world of good. Their encouragement meant so much to him because, in a way, their support indicated that he was supporting _himself_.

"It's funny how past lives work, huh, boy?" Aang immediately felt very silly. Not because he was talking to a ten ton sky bison, whose grasp of human language extended to 'Yip yip', or 'stop', but because he remembered that he was the only person in the world who would know about what it felt like to have past lives. He was the _only _Avatar, and in that respect he was totally and irreversibly alone. But recently he had begun to realise that, in so many wonderful and important ways, he was not as alone as he had once thought. He wasn't the only person left alive from before the war, there was still Guru Pathik and King Bumi. He didn't have to keep the world in balance all by himself, he would have help from Fire Lord Zuko, Earth King Kuei, and the water tribe chiefs.

But perhaps most importantly of all, he had a family. Family like he had never had, even _before_ the war. His friends were his family, and they meant more to him than anything. But there was one person in particular that he would sacrifice anything and everything for. His entire trip back to Ba Sing Se was filled with thoughts and memories of her. The girl that he couldn't live without, his hero, his best friend. What would he say to her? Would she forgive him? Would he, no, _should_ he forgive her? Did he _want_ to? One moment he felt like he would fall apart if she rejected him, and another, in his anger, he felt like he wanted _her_to fall apart. He quickly stamped down his negative thoughts, but they continually reared their ugly heads. Though he wanted desperately to forgive her, the truth was that she had hurt him immensely. The idea that she would question his love for her in the first place was bad enough. But that she thought that he wasn't thinking about her every waking moment, that she didn't think that everything he did was for _her,_ was infinitely worse. He could understand if he was failing her, he wasn't perfect after all, but what he couldn't understand was how she could feel like he wasn't trying. It pained him to admit that he was angry with her, but he was, and she had some explaining to do. They both did.

His journey to Ba Sing Se should, perhaps, have been the scariest he had ever made, but his mind was so consumed with other things that before he could formulate the idea of turning around in in his mind, he was there.

* * *

For a certain waterbender, it was just another ordinary, boring day in Ba Sing Se. Her father had long since departed for the Southern Water Tribe, and her friends Zuko and Mai had been forced to return to the Fire Nation on 'Fire Lord business'. Zuko and his uncle had said an emotional goodbye, which had ended with Iroh tersely informing Zuko that if he did not visit the Jasmine Dragon soon then he would be forced to hunt Zuko down again, and this time he would bring his Tsungi Horn. Zuko paled when his uncle told him that it would be the Fire Lord who would be playing it, but after their joking was over they shared a final, extended embrace, Zuko hopped into his airship with Mai, and, just like that they were gone. With even _fewer_ people around her to keep her occupied, Katara found it increasingly difficult to keep her mind from wandering to thoughts of Aang. She still missed him intensely and painfully. Just because she had found the strength to wait for him did not mean that the pain of his absence was not affecting her.

She found every activity suggested to her to be exceedingly boring, and her friends joked that it was like Mai had never left. But Katara forced herself to keep busy. She didn't want to go _mad_ before Aang arrived back, after all. Who in their right mind would want an insane waterbender for a girlfriend? She prayed that the answer to that question was Aang. She reasoned that, if it was, then she only really had Hama to compete with, and she knew Aang wasn't into _that_ kind of thing.

She shook herself from the daze she had spent the last few minutes in. _Wow_, she thought, _my mind is weird_. The more she pondered the situation, however, the more she realised just how reliant she had become on Aang over the past two years. He was always there for her, whether with a smile, and ear, a warm pair of arms, or a kiss. He had never stopped supporting her, and everything he did was for _her_ benefit. He was always around to protect her from others, and more importantly, herself. It shocked her to think that she had been so blind as to miss all of that.

She had taken him for granted, just like she had done with her mother, and now that he was gone she felt lost, just like she had as a little girl, like she had until she had met Aang. She swore that if Aang ever took her back, then she would never take his love for granted again. Aang had given her many things, big, important things, but it was his love, and the sense of security that knowing he loved her gave her, that she had treasured above all. Now that it was gone, she was frightened.

One of her favourite activities recently had been watching the sky. She watched and waited, hoping that one day she would see Appa up there, carrying her favourite airbender, and her life could go back to some semblance of normality. Her heart would leap at the sight of anything remotely Appa shaped, but every time she was met with crushing disappointment. She felt ridiculous, jumping at the sight of a cloud, welling up when she realised that that was all it was. Her feeling of idiocy was compounded by the fact that _every _cloud looked like Appa. Truthfully, she felt more at home inside the tea shop than outside straining her neck with all her upwards gazing, but she missed Aang every day, and didn't want to miss him when he arrived.

* * *

Aang and Appa arrived in Ba Sing Se very late at night. Even the drunkards had found their way home, or had fallen asleep in the street, and Aang decided that, as much as he wanted to see Katara and the rest of his friends, he would leave the monumental task of facing them until the next day. Aang steered Appa to a nearby hill and lay down against his friend's foreleg. But, try as he might, he just couldn't fall asleep. His head was swimming with anticipation and anxiety, and so he decided that it couldn't hurt just to _check_ the Jasmine Dragon, to see if his friends were still awake. Aang was struck by how quiet everything was on his walk. He could hear his own footsteps, his own breathing, his own heartbeat, but beyond those things there was simply no sound at all. The silence was comforting and, simultaneously, unnerving.

Aang was disappointed, but not surprised, to find the Jasmine Dragon closed, and find that all of his friends were fast asleep. He was unsure of exactly what he had been expecting, but he let out an exasperated sigh nonetheless, and was about to turn and leave when he noticed that one of the shutters to an upstairs window was open. Through it, he could hear what sounded like a snoring competition between Sokka and Iroh. As the snore of one ended, so began the snore of the other, as if they were locked in some kind of endless struggle to prove once and for all which one of them was the most difficult to sleep around. He smiled at the thought and silently airbended himself up, and into the window.

He was startled to find that the room he had so rudely broken into was Katara's. He was about to leap back out of the window and run, before he noticed out of the corner of his eye something in Katara's hands. It was the flower necklace he had made for her as a substitute for her mother's, and Katara fingered it lightly in her sleep. He had forgotten all about it, but the sentimentality got to him instantaneously, and he found himself tearing up. He gazed longingly at Katara. To any normal person, she would have appeared to be the paragon of health. But Aang knew her better. Her breathing was ragged and unsteady, she was ever so slightly thinner and her eyes were red and puffy. Aang knew that she had been crying. He knew that it was a horrible thought, but deep down he hoped that it had been about him, and his unannounced departure. Seeing his beloved waterbender, and best friend, again after three long weeks melted his heart, and all the pain and rage he was harbouring in his heart was swept aside, as he sat for several minutes, admiring her sleeping form. She looked so sweet, and innocent, and _beautiful_ that he just couldn't tear his gaze away.

His breath caught in his throat when, to his horror, she began to stir. He was terrified that she would wake up at any moment, and discover him there, spying on her. For a heart-stopping moment, it looked as though she might, but in the end she simply turned over, and was now facing him. He afforded himself a small sigh of relief, and he turned to leave once again. With one leg out of the window, he heard Katara mumble something in her sleep. He strained his ears to try and decipher her words, and what he heard had a deep, profound effect on him.

"Aang… please… don't go… come back to me…"

Aang felt tears welling in his eyes, and he bent his head down to whisper to her.

"I'm sorry, I have to go now, Katara. But I promise, I'll see you tomorrow, and I promise we'll make things right," he breathed into her ear, as quietly as he possibly could. As soon as the words left his mouth, Katara's restlessness appeared to cease, and a warm, content smile spread across her face.

Seeing this, Aang stamped down the familiar fear that was growing inside him, and he leant down to plant a soft kiss on her forehead. To his unending relief, she still didn't wake up, but instead let out a sigh that sounded remarkably like relief. He slipped silently out, returning to the hill to sleep by his bison. At that moment, he felt strangely content, and, despite the burgeoning knowledge that the next day would be one of the most significant in his life, fell asleep looking forward to the morning.

* * *

"Breakfast, Katara!"

Katara was finally stirred from her deep slumber by her calling brother. She was appalled to discover that she had slept in, and that the others were awake before her. For days she had been up before dawn, and often lent a helping hand with preparing breakfast for her friends. Anything to occupy her lonely mornings. But that particular morning she felt different. She wasn't feeling the crushing loneliness that she felt every morning knowing that Aang wouldn't be at breakfast with them. She couldn't feel the debilitating sadness that had kept her awake for so many nights. She felt… safe. It was a very strange feeling, one that she hadn't felt in weeks, and it felt good. The previous night, she recalled, she had been in the peculiar situation of having a terrifying nightmare. Everything she loved was being torn from her grasp, when all of a sudden the raging waters of fear had calmed. She remembered begging, pleading with Aang not to leave, and to her immense surprise and relief, he didn't, and it was at that point that her dream had taken an altogether more pleasant turn. She didn't know what the dream meant, if it meant anything at all, but she was strangely optimistic for the day that lay ahead.

"Come on, don't make us wait any longer!" her brother called.

"Morning everyone," she said as she came down the stairs. Her friends didn't miss the marked improvement in her disposition. For weeks they were lucky if Katara would go more than five minutes without letting out a sigh or saying something self-deprecating, but this morning she was… smiling, and none of them could formulate an explanation.

"What are you so happy about?" prodded Toph.

"Yeah, Katara, did something happen last night?" added Suki.

Katara almost laughed at their perplexed expressions, but she too could tell that she was being oddly positive that morning. She began to wonder to herself if perhaps something _had_ happened the previous night to put her in such high spirits.

"I don't know," she started, "I just feel… good."

"Really? I mean, you've been moping around for weeks, and then suddenly you're acting like Aang's back and everything's perfect and you're giddier than ever," Toph drawled. Her mention of Aang earned her a flick to the head from Sokka and a hard glare from Suki, but incredibly Katara was not disheartened by the reminder of his absence.

"Honestly, I feel fine, guys. I just feel like things are looking up."

"You mean, like… like you're over Aang, or something?" Sokka asked sheepishly, fully expecting his sister to experience another emotional breakdown. To his relief, she simply gazed at the ground, her features inscrutable.

"I don't mean that, Sokka. I still miss him, all the time, and I really wish he were here. I'm just feeling better, stronger." Her voice betrayed the painful longing that her friends had grown all too accustomed to seeing her express over the last few weeks, but when she looked back up she looked as calm as ever. She sat down and eyed the meal hungrily, and it surprised her to discover that she was consumed with a Sokka-sized appetite.

"Well," she said to her gobsmacked friends as she picked up two large handfuls of food, "are you guys going to sit there staring at me all morning, or are you going to join me?" As she proceeded to almost shovel in mouthfuls of food her friends exchanged a few uneasy glances before slowly joining her in her fervent consumption.

* * *

The fourteen year old Avatar slowly made his way through Ba Sing Se's upper ring. As expected, he found himself mobbed by packs of admirers, but he was too distracted to talk to them, fight them off or even acknowledge their existence. Aang's indifference was not enough to deter them, and they formed a large crowd around him as he walked. Thankfully, Appa was proving to be quite the capable bodyguard, and every so often when the crowd became too large for the bison's liking, he would emit a humongous growl and scatter the latest pack of admirers that was badgering them. It took them almost an hour to reach the Jasmine Dragon tea shop. Aang had awoken before sunrise with the express intention of arriving before his friends could wake up, but by the time he and Appa had managed to force their way through their crowds of followers, the sun had risen and morning was in full swing.

Aang made his way up the stairs to Iroh's shop, but it seemed that with every step he took his confidence bled from him until by the time he had reached the courtyard, and he could hear his friends' voices, he was on the verge of losing his nerve altogether. For minutes he stood, wrestling with his indecision, before Appa decided that he had seen enough and nudged his master with his head. Aang was so deep in consideration that the light push was enough to send him toppling over. As he untangled himself from his robe, he sent a pointed glance in Appa's direction.

"What was that, boy?" he hissed, "I was just composing myself, and I was going to head in a minute anyway!"

Appa eyes seemed to say "Yeah, right" even as he put on as innocent a face as a bison could muster. Aang softened immediately.

"I know, you do it because you care," he drawled. "Aww, I can't stay mad at you," he chuckled as he patted his friend's nose, "I know you were just trying to help."

With the help of Appa's 'pep talk', Aang turned to face the entrance to the tea shop.

"Well," he said quietly to himself, as his confidence again began to shrink, "here goes nothing."

With that, he swallowed shakily and swung the doors of the tea shop open. They let out an audible 'bang!' as they each hit their adjacent walls, such was the force of Aang's arrival. For a moment Aang stood, glowing with both pride and embarrassment at his entrance, when he suddenly found himself feeling extremely self-conscious. His friends just sat there, speechless. Their mouths, half full of food, were wide open, and he struggled to supress the laugh that surfaced as the looks on his friends faces got to him.

"Hey guys," Aang said timidly after several tense seconds, "How's it going?"

* * *

At his friends' maintained silence, Aang began to grow disheartened. He found himself once again to be flip-flopping as to whether he should stay or go. Eventually, however, Sokka was able to compose himself, and he walked over to envelop his friend in a warm hug, dragging Suki with him and forcing her to awkwardly join the embrace.

"Aang, it's so great to see you!" he gushed, "Where have you been all this time? Did something happen to you? Or was it more 'spirit shenanigans'?," the warrior inquired with a chuckle.

"It's great to _be_ back Sokka, and no, it wasn't 'spirit shenanigans', I just needed to sort a few things out in my head," he answered with a grin. At that point he turned his gaze towards Katara, and was shocked to see her eyes swirling with a mixture of uncontainable happiness and crushing regret and insecurity. It took all of his willpower not to rush over to her and take her in his arms and tell her that all was forgiven. He knew that they needed to have a proper talk, so he resisted the urge to kiss her senseless and instead focus his attention on Toph.

"Hey, Toph," he crowed, "you must be getting rusty, I'm surprised you didn't sense me outside and give the game away."

Toph played along, and sent him a wide smile. "Hey, I knew you were there the whole time, Twinkle Toes, I'm disappointed, you're not exactly living up to your nickname right now." Toph could feel Aang beaming at her, and as he did so he felt Katara's heart rate spike. _Jealous much?_ She thought sardonically. However, as much as she enjoyed riling Katara up, she wisely shifted the focus of the conversation to the waterbender.

"It's really good to have you back, Katara's been going crazy since you've been away. I swear, it was like you'd died or something!" Katara and Aang both blushed at Toph's blunt summarisation of the situation, and Aang decided to close the distance between them. He walked up to Katara's chair and gazed at her with his stormy, grey eyes. Her breathing hurried as she reacted to their proximity, and she stubbornly avoided his gaze.

"Katara, I never meant to make you worry about me."

At that moment, she was terrified to look into his eyes, fearing that if she did she would be faced with the same emotionless visage that she had been presented with on the day after their argument. She had to force herself to look up, but when she did her breath caught in her throat. Instead of the cold, hard stare she had anticipated, she found his eyes to be full of the same soft love that had always inhabited their grey depths before she had ruined everything. But she could also see great sadness and… fear. It pained her to think that she was the cause of his emotional turmoil, but she offered him a small smile, and he gave her the same.

"If you two are done making googly-eyes at each other," interrupted Sokka, "then we have a lot to catch up on. Come an Aang, spill the beans, where _have _you been."

Aang spent the next fifteen minutes explaining the event of the past few weeks; his mysterious departure, his conversations with his past lives, and his late night/early morning arrival (naturally leaving out a few key details). When he was done, he stood up and turned to the door.

"Wait, Aang! Where are you going?" cried Katara, her voice choked with emotion. "You're not leaving again, are you?" to her horror she felt herself tearing up, again.

"No, silly," Aang reassured her with a smile, "I'm just going to grab my things from Appa. I'm here to stay, so I'm going to need a room, unless you want me to sleep outside."

"Oh, right, of course," Katara said meekly, her cheeks flushing red as she realised just how ridiculous she must have sounded.

"I'll be back in a minute, I promise." Aang's words were more than enough to comfort her, just as they always had been. She couldn't help but smile at the thought that he really hadn't changed. He was the same boy she had fallen in love with, and it looked to her that he loved her too.

* * *

When Aang went up to his room, he was more than a little surprised to find Katara sitting on his bead, waiting for him. She was dressed in her signature blue water tribe get-up, but Aang's heart still leapt when he saw her. To him, she was as beautiful as she had ever been, but her eyes were filled with such intense emotion and sadness that he found himself unable to meet her gaze.

"Hey," he said, lamely.

"Hey," she replied, her voice barely above a whisper. In reality, she was worried that her voice would betray the feelings that her face had long since betrayed, but she tried in vain to maintain her neutral tone. Meanwhile, Aang busied himself with rearranging his room. Several uneasy moments passed before she spoke again.

"It's good to see you again," she began, "I really missed you."

"I missed you too."

The two lapsed back into silence once more, and seeing as how neither of them wanted to begin the difficult conversation that they both knew was necessary, they remained that way for some time. After what felt like an eternity of fidgeting, and quick glances from half lidded eyes, Katara decided that she had seen enough and opened her mouth to speak. However, before she could even draw breath, Aang spoke.

"Katara," he sighed, "we need to talk."

"Yeah…" she conceded, half annoyed with Aang for beating her to the mark, half annoyed with herself for letting him, "I was just going to say that."

"I feel like there's a lot unspoken between us."

"I know there is, Aang."

"Well if that's the case," he said tentatively, carefully, "what's going on between us?"

"I don't know, Aang, you tell me."

Aang gritted his teeth at Katara's instruction, and swallowed hard before beginning.

"Well, I know how _I_ feel…" he started, before seeming to lose his nerve.

"And how's that?" she asked, her voice thick with emotion.

"I know that I'm hurt," he told her. It pained him to admit it, but he knew that he had to tell her how he was really feeling, even if in the short term it would be uncomfortable to hear. "What you said to me really hurt me, Katara." She visibly flinched at his admission, and her eyes glazed over with guilty sadness, and she was forced to avert her gaze. Aang took a step forward, determined now more than ever to set things straight.

"It hurt me so much to hear you say those things because, well… you mean so much to me. You've always been the first person I go to when I need to talk about something, and I've always thought of you as being my safe place. I've never been afraid to go to you totally vulnerable, Katara, and that's why what you said affected me so badly. I'm used to hearing things like that, I hear it all the time from people who don't think I'm doing a good enough job, but I never thought that _you_ would say something like that to me," he took a fortifying breath before finishing, "I never thought that you would even consider saying something so horrible." Katara was crying now, tears rolling slowly down her face. She had kept a tight rein on her sobs, but she feared that if Aang went on then they would quickly slip out of her control.

"It's more than that, though Katara," he continued. "I _do _feel hurt, but at the same time I feel… sorry." Katara looked up at him through her wet lashes, with a blazing hope in her eyes. "I know that you care about me, I really do. I know that you would never get as angry at me as you did if you weren't hurt too. When I ran away, I was as angry at myself as I was angry at you." She was stunned by his quiet revelation, but remained in a shocked stupor for so long that Aang decided to elaborate.

"At first I thought I was angry because I had let myself rely on you. I thought that I had been foolish to think that you cared about me, but I should never have questioned that. I was angry with myself because I had hurt you too, and by hurting you I hurt myself, do you understand?" She managed a dumbfounded nod.

"But more than both of those things, I know that I love you. During my time away, you were all I could think about. I was agonising over how I was going to live without you, and the truth is I don't think I can." He met her eyes with an earnest, penetrating stare. "I don't know if you love me anymore Katara, or if you ever can again, but I want you to know that I love you, and I always will, no matter what happens. I promise."

At that quiet admission, Katara lost all sway over her emotions and leapt up to drape her arms around Aang, sobbing her heart out. Her violent lunge, compounded by her shaking form, was nearly enough to knock Aang clean over, but he valiantly regained his balance and gently took Katara in his arms. She crushed her face into his neck, as her tears ran down her face and onto his shirt. Her fingers dug hard into his back, and she clung to him as if she might die upon release. In that moment, he knew that she was just as sorry as he had been, and that the pain of separation had been just as unbearable for her as it had been for him. Her emotions told him far more than her words ever could, and he couldn't help but smile at what her actions _were_ telling him, but he managed to bite it back before she caught him. He ran a reassuring hand down her back as he whispered soft reassurances in her ear.

"You know I would never really leave you, right Katara?"

"Stop it, Aang, stop it please…" she pleaded into his ear between sobs.

He drew her back to gaze into her eyes. She grabbed onto his upper arms so hard, that it was almost painful, but he held in his instinctive wince of pain when he saw that her eyes were wide with panic. His heart sank in one, terrifying moment.

"Stop, what Katara?" he queried, his voice wobbling.

"Stop being so _kind_ to me, please," she wailed, "I don't deserve it, Aang, I really don't." Her voice was almost totally strangled as she garbled her heartfelt feelings of inadequacy.

"I don't deserve you, Aang. I would have deserved it if you _had_ left me. After all I've done, how can you blame yourself?" she stammered, incredulously. "How can you, Aang?" When he didn't have an answer, for her, she gripped him tightly once more, so that her mouth was right by his ear.

"I didn't need you to apologise Aang, that was the last thing I wanted."

Aang decided that, as much as he was enjoying his proximity to Katara, that it would be easier for them both if they took a seat. He slowly unwrapped himself from Katara's vice-like grip, and led them over to the bed. They sat down, and Aang swept up both of Katara's hands and silently implored her to meet his gaze.

"Say what you feel, Katara," he told her, "I'll listen."

Katara gulped down several fortifying breaths, as she sat sniffling and sobbing, fighting off the last remnants of her near-breakdown before continuing.

"I need to apologise to you, Aang. I didn't mean what I said. I felt bad and so I wanted you to feel bad, and I'm so sorry."

"If you really didn't mean it, then why did you say it, Katara?" His eyes were clouded with confusion as he waited on Katara's response.

"I guess I felt betrayed when you chose to side with the Earth Kingdom, and not us. I just thought that you would support us because we were a couple, and that was totally unfair of me, Aang. I forgot that you were the Avatar, and I forgot that you don't just have a responsibility to me, but to the whole world." She paused before finishing reassuringly, "I was being selfish and stupid. I don't want to stop you doing the right thing just because you're with me."

This caught Aang off guard. He was surprised that Katara still considered them a couple, even after all that had happened. Deep down, he thought it to be uncharacteristically arrogant of her, but he was so hugely relieved that he was able to overlook that minute detail. He felt secure in the knowledge that Katara cared so greatly about him that she would consider them to be together, considering the circumstances, and decided to ask her to confirm his hopes.

"_Are_ we together, Katara? I wouldn't blame you if you didn't think we were, after all, I wasn't exactly gracious in my departure." She noticed that his eyes were practically egging her on, begging her to confirm her feelings for him. She winced at the idea that he thought that they _weren't_, in fact, together, and was saddened that she had given him the impression in the first place.

"Of course we're together, Aang!" she cried, startling herself with the force of her admission. "I was totally lost without you! I couldn't sleep, I couldn't eat, I couldn't even bring myself to waterbend. I couldn't do any of those things knowing that you weren't here with me."

"Katara…" he whimpered guiltily, "I'm so sorry, I never would have left if I'd known…"

"Don't apologise, Aang. I'm the one who needs to apologise. I'm so, so sorry I hurt you, and I'll never do it again, as long as I live. I love you, and I really, _really_ want us to be together, I mean... if you still want me."

Aang didn't bother to stifle his laughter that time. Beaming, he told her, "Katara, I could never want anyone else."

When he saw that she was close to tears yet again, he chose that moment to assuage her fears and affirm his love for her. He gently cupped her face in his hands and wiped away the first tear that fell. And the second. And the third. His sweet gesture had been enough to send Katara over the edge, and soon the tears were coming far too quickly for him to wipe away. He chuckled and smiled at her.

"You're not making this easy, Katara," he grunted in mock-annoyance. When she giggled at him, he decided that he couldn't hold on any longer and kissed her.

It was intended to be a slow, gentle, reassuring kiss, but when Katara grabbed hold of his shirt front, the kiss took an altogether different turn. She pressed her mouth to his with reckless abandon, and he responded in turn. They sat there for several minutes, breathing through their noses so as to avoid having to break the kiss even for a second. They kissed as though they might never see each other again, as though it were there last moment on Earth together, and after several more breathless kisses, Katara threw her arms around Aang, and he moved his hands to her waist. They pulled themselves as close as physically possible, and Katara moved to straddle Aang's lap. They breathed together, their chests rising and falling in sync, and Katara could feel Aang's heartbeat against her, such was their proximity. After several intense minutes they finally managed to pull their lips apart and gaze at each other with wide, besotted smiles. Every ounce of love they had ever felt for each other was present in them at that moment, and it was clear that all was forgiven.

They lay in each other's arms for what felt like an eternity. They hugged and talked and joked and laughed, and everything felt wonderful. They were eventually snapped out of their lovers' trance by the calls of their friends. They glanced at each other sheepishly, and Aang made to roll off the bed, but was stopped by Katara, who tugged incessantly on his hand.

"What is it sweetie?" he asked her, never once dropping his gaze.

"Never leave me again, Aang. Promise me you'll never leave."

"I don't know if I can promise to _never_ leave," he told her woefully. He had always known that he would have to spend extended periods of time apart from Katara owing to his Avatar duties, and eventually death would claim one of them. But then an idea sprung to his mind. "What I _can_ promise you is that I'll always come back." He offered her a reassuring smile.

She looked pensive for a moment before smiling at him, "I guess that'll have to do," she teased, and pulled him down for one final kiss before they faced their inevitable interrogation from Sokka.

"I couldn't stay away if I tried."

* * *

**Well, there you go. You read it and you're still alive, so congratulations. It ain't spectacular, but I ain't a spectacular guy, so thanks very much for the read!**

**Just as a clarification: I was trying to go for a kind of vulnerable, regretful Katara vibe, but I went a bit over the top. The trouble I found was, since Katara is such a strong character anyway, making her so vulnerable makes it easy to make her OOC. I couldn't strike a good enough balance, but in for a penny, in for a pound.**


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